NOTHING BUT THE FACTS: POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION IN B.C.

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s public post-secondary education system is preparing students to take their places in the province’s knowledge economy. Here’s a statistical* profile showcasing higher learning in B.C.:

Record investments in post-secondary education

· $15.9 billion – amount of money invested in post-secondary education in B.C. since 2001 – more than the entire budgets for the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick combined.

· 40 per cent – the increase in annual operating funding for post-secondary institutions since 2001.

· $2.25 billion – the amount invested in support of post-secondary education this year. Every single public college and university has seen its provincial funding increase.

· $9,308 – amount per full-time student funded by the provincial government, up from $8,440 in 2001-02.

Record investments in campus facilities

· $1.5 billion – amount of capital expansion at public post-secondary institutions since 2001 – the largest post-secondary expansion in history.

· 746 – capital projects on campuses throughout B.C. since 2001.

· 22 – new buildings or major expansions under construction.

· Seven – number of new campuses completed or under construction.

Record investments in research

· $1.7 billion – amount committed to support research and innovation initiatives by the Province since 2001. Research funding supports projects in the areas of mental health, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer prevention, ocean science, clean energy and climate change.

· At least $1 billion – additional research dollars resulting from the Province’s investments.

· $52.5 million – amount committed to establish the Leading Edge Endowment Fund. This funding is matched by the private sector, which provides up to $4.5 million each for 20 B.C. leadership chairs and $2.5 million for each of nine regional innovation chairs.

· $20 million – to triple the size of an internship program that pairs graduate students with B.C. businesses to help increase the province’s competitiveness.

More affordable

· Fourth-lowest tuition in Canada – the $4,636 average tuition undergraduate students paid last year at B.C.’s public universities.

· Less than one-third – the proportion of their post-secondary education costs students pay through their tuition.

· Two per cent – the limit on tuition fee increases again this year at B.C.’s public universities, colleges and institutes.

· $1.6 billion – student financial assistance provided by government since 2001.

· Over 50 per cent – university and college students who graduate with no debt.

· $72 million – the amount of loan reduction funding provided, together with the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

More choices

· Six – the number of new universities since 2001: Thompson Rivers University, Capilano University, University of the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

· 238 – the number of new degree programs approved by the Minister of Advanced Education since 2001, giving students more choices.

· 199,000 student spaces – the total number of full-time equivalent seats being funded by the provincial government this academic year.

· 32,000 – the number of new full-time spaces for students added to B.C.’s 11 universities, 11 community colleges, three provincial institutes and the Industry Training Authority since 2001..

· 2,500 – the number of graduate student spaces being added to B.C.’s four research-intensive universities from 2007-08 to 2010-11.

· About 2,000 – the number of online courses students can enrol in through BCcampus. Last year, 15,538 registrations took place through BCcampus, which is increasing online learning options at B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions.

More doctors and nurses

· Double – the number of doctors who will graduate in B.C., compared to 2001 – 256 per year by 2011. The University of B.C. now has the highest number of seats of any medical school in Canada.

· Nearly double – the number of education spaces added in nursing programs – over 3,700 spaces added since 2001, producing record numbers of graduates.

· 2,361 – nursing credentials awarded by public post-secondary institutions in B.C. in academic year 2006-07, up from 1,343 in 2000-01. More than half received their bachelor of science in nursing, most of whom will go on to become registered nurses in B.C.

More students

· 430,000 – the approximate number of students enrolled in public post-secondary institutions in B.C. This is the highest number ever.

· 23,000 – the number of international students in B.C. public post-secondary institutions – the highest number ever.

· 18,000 – the number of public post-secondary students who identified themselves as Aboriginal – an increase of 23 per cent since 2002-03.

· 95 – the percentage of graduates from B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions who were employed when surveyed between nine months and two years after graduation. This is less than half the unemployment rate for British Columbians in the same age range with high school diplomas or less.

· 82.5 – the percentage of university graduates who say their education helped them develop crucial skills to a “high” or “very high” extent.

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* Statistics from most recent years available.


Media contact:	Richard Chambers Communications Director 250 952-6508 250 361-7241 (cell)

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